The Week That Was

Prediction: Hillary gets more flak for "entitled to 1 question" than Trump gets for "go back to Univision"

— John Deeth (@johndeeth) August 28, 2015

Comin' straight outta Texas, a crazy MF named Ted Cruz... (Feel free to complete this, but I expect co-writer coyalties for the sample, and a verse for all 17 candidates.)

Yes, it's a big week for Dr. Dre as the 26 year old Straight Outta Compton album is Top 10 for the first time ever and as 15 year old presidential candidate Deez Nuts (correctly spelled Deeez Nuuuts) is still polling strong despite his endorsement of Bernie Sanders.

Back in 1989 when it was new, N.W.A. was an underground success while Tone-Lōc ruled the charts.  All these years later, "_ _ _ _ Tha Police" (that's how the title appeared censored on the original album) is as controversial and immediate as ever, while the trans-phobic verse of "Funky Cold Medina" (a "love potion" that sounds creepily like roofies) feels as dated as Milli Vanilli and as politically incorrect as a Dukes of Hazzard rerun.

Maybe it really IS really 1992 all over again, and we'll see a race between a Clinton and a Bush and a half-crazy billionaire. And if that wasn't enough nostalgia, there was a brief mock movement this week to get Michael Dukkais into the 2016 race.

Bit that's the wrong blast (off) from the past. The best tweet of the week belongs to actual rocket scientist David Grinspoon:

I don't want our country to be run like a business. I want it to be run like a spacecraft team http://t.co/2HCaogprbz pic.twitter.com/4zo3Kk3w6b

— David Grinspoon (@DrFunkySpoon) August 28, 2015

Sounds like an opening for the original Right Stuff candidate, who's tanned, rested and ready at 94 years young: John Glenn 2016!

In any case,  right about now what the Republicans need is for about 10 candidates, two or three from each niche, to drop out and endorse the surviving one of their niche-mates, so that the party starts consolidating behind some serious alternatives not named Trump or Carson.

Meanwhile, on my team, some EPIC side eye from Debbie Wasserman Schultz:

awkward pic.twitter.com/pAQs8WiW40

— Elliott Schwartz (@elliosch) August 28, 2015

The scene: O'Malley is feet away from the DNC's leadership as he rips at it for limiting debates. Room full of Bernie supporters eats it up.

— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) August 28, 2015

I'm well on the record saying that debates are over-rated, and more for the committed supporters and the media than for actual voters trying to decide.  But there's clearly a sentiment for more, and Wasserman Schultz is especially deaf to the demands.  Between this, her obvious preference for Hillary, and her out of step views on the Iran deal, I'm thinking the DNC has the wrong person at the helm.

It's an inherent problem with having a sitting elected official in a party position: on Iran, she's answering to her district and her own Israel First foreign policy views more than she's representing the whole party. And I shudder to think what would happen if we got into a caucus date fight (so far so good...) with the biggest defender of Florida's rule breaking in 2008 at the helm.

intro speaker at Ohio event is cracking @HillaryClinton up on stage: "men, I don't mean to negate you. But it's our time."

— Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) August 27, 2015

How do Sanders, O'Malley or Biden answer that?

Of course, my first in the nation fears may be eased a little bit in a way I never expected: Despite the drop in yesterday's poll, Hillary Clinton is still leading in Iowa. Consider this scenario: in a reversal of 2008 Hillary wins Iowa but loses New Hampshire. She then sweeps Super Tuesday and wins the nomination. That makes Iowa the good guys instead of the bad guys, and President Clinton 45 protects First In The Nation.

Trump polls at -51% with Hispaincs. That's worse that @ChuckGrassley polls among deer

— John Deeth (@johndeeth) August 25, 2015

Second best tweet of the week goes to Carly Fiorina who is trying WAY too hard for that Chuck Grassley endorsement:

Our campaign car just hit a deer in Iowa. Everyone is fine, but per @ChuckGrassley, assume deer dead.

— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) August 28, 2015

And the map of the week belongs to numbers whisperer Nate Silver:

Here's how 2016 will turn out if current polls are right. Going to be a close one. pic.twitter.com/ZFyKsuKIFq

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 24, 2015

Bonus points to first reader who IDs what election this map is REALLY from.